Jamie MacColl, from indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club, is an ambassador for Undivided: a group that aims to bring a million young people to the Brexit negotiation table. We talk to him about Brexit, the intersection of music with politics, and whether Bombay Bicycle Club will be releasing another record. Have your voice heard right now, and submit your demands for a better Brexit at the Undivided website here. 

How did you feel after Brexit?


Bereft. But also, I saw a good tweet from an academic… that said now you know: this is how UKIP voters and ‘left behind’ voters feel. (They were) living [in] a country that feels like it doesn’t represent you, and I guess that’s how I feel now. And that prompted me to work with Undivided, with people that voted the other way. Not only to bring people together, but to try and understand why people feel so differently.


From a young person’s perspective, I was concerned from the start because the most prominent figures that were asking young people to vote were George Osborne and David Cameron, precisely the kind of people who were making life hard for the last five, six years... It’s easier to motivate young people for change than for the status quo.


“That prompted me to work with Undivided, with people that voted the other way. Not only to bring people together, but to try and understand why people feel so differently.”



Image: James Hitchings-Hales


What is Undivided?


It’s the first nationwide campaign to ensure that young people’s interests are represented in the Brexit negotiations. The initial aim was to hear at least a million demands from under 30’s, but we’ll (be happy) to reach a million young people. It’s being crowdsourced online primarily, but also in regional workshops all over the country. Once we’ve crowdsourced the demands, we’ll turn it into a ten-point policy platform that we’ll take to politicians. 


Why do you think young people are apathetic?


I spent a lot of time thinking they’re not apathetic, that they just do politics in other ways. Most of the people involved in Undivided are younger than I am. There’s people as young as sixteen, and they are extremely engaged, well informed, driven, and passionate, and that’s what inspires me. But I realise that lots aren’t like that. Hopefully, the people who were apathetic a year ago, maybe (the referendum) will have politicised (them). 

Do you think that music is useful to connect young people to politics on a big scale?


Yeah, I do. I think it’s a good way to get them interested in individual issues. You don’t get a lot of overt political music any more, but it’s very common to see pop stars talking about single issues, especially identity. Take a band like Years & Years: the singer, Olly, talks very passionately about mental health and LGBT issues, even if it’s not something that filters into the music. It’s far more common in the US getting acts to endorse Presidential candidates than it is here. But that might be more reflective of the fact that the presidential elections are this big, glitzy event, whereas general elections here are less so. 


You get musicians coalescing around movements, like how Black Lives Matter has led to a lot of very political rap music in the US. I haven’t seen something similar in this country, although a lot of people look to grime as a very political genre. I think it is, but in a different way. It’s political in a sense of the every day being political. 


“A lot of people look to grime as a very political genre. I think it is, but in a different way. It’s political in a sense of the every day being political.”




And then you get UB40 coming out in support of Jeremy Corbyn…


It shows such a misunderstanding from the mainstream parties about what’s going to engage young people. Part of the problem is that… it’s all quite patronising. I felt that during the Stronger In (campaign) as well. Just from reading their press releases you’d think that the only thing young people care about is roaming charges and having a slightly cheaper holiday. 


What kind of Brexit do you want to see?


In a personal capacity, I want something that looks like being in the EU without causing even more social tension and potential violence in this country.  There’s always going to be disagreements about things like freedom of movement and the single market. The things we can agree on are things the EU is good at, like protecting the environment and enforcing caps on CO2 emissions. It affects our future in such an all encompassing way. Broader things too, like increased funding for education and the NHS, protection of workers rights. More importantly, we all agree that we should be involved in the process.


What would you say to a young person who doesn’t want to participate in the system?


If you feel that there’s nobody that represents you, then get involved personally. Or push someone forward that you think would represent you. Start your own party, get involved in local politics, become a councillor , work your way up through the system to become an MP. You have to keep going, you have to keep fighting. Don’t vote if you don’t want to, but don’t ever complain about any political decisions for the next five years. 


“You have to keep going, you have to keep fighting.”



Undivided is essentially about bringing people back together after a public breakup. Will Bombay Bicycle Club be reuniting in the near future?


I think we get along far better than most Remainers and Leavers! We’re technically on a hiatus at the moment, whatever that means. I don’t really know. It was all we’ve done for ten years since the age of sixteen. I think we all just needed to do something different for a bit. I would be personally surprised if we don’t make another album or go on tour again. 

TopicsBrexit

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Demand Equity

Young People are Taking Back Brexit, with a Little Help from Bombay Bicycle Club

By James Hitchings-Hales